bunch of jokers. how can anyone go on strike just to make sure the next person does not improve his profession. this doesn't make any sense...at all.

lurvy: [size=17pt]Its very unfortunate that people who took an oath to save lives are now involved in politicking for ridiculous reasons!

I think those leading the NMA are leading the doctors in the wrong direction and should be called to order.

It would have been better if doctors are striking for more money, but rather striking for flimsy reasons like... "I spent a long time in the medical school, I should always be the BOSS in the hospital ", "Nobody except doctors should be bear the title- CONSULTANT, etc... all these are uncalled for!

Everyone in the hospital is important, no matter what (even the cleaners).

Everyone should be more concerned about doing what he/she was employed to do in the first place!

Everyone is supposed to work together for unity, everyone is virtually important!

Nobody should say Mr. A. is not important or Mr. B. is not important, that's gross!

I wonder when doctors began taking so much interest in a title rather than in research work!

Please if there is any good and strong reason given by the doctors for the strike, then please educate me, aside that I think the strike is ridiculous and TOTALLY uncalled for!



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When u get 2 d hospital, let d cleaner attend to u then.

I thought the doctor is like the team lead in a hospital. If that is the case,the leader carried everybody along including their support staff,well thats how its done in Engineering profession. How can doctors be demanding hazard allowance only for themselves when their support staff are exposed to the same hazards or even more?

lurvy: [size=17pt]Its very unfortunate that people who took an oath to save lives are now involved in politicking for ridiculous reasons!

I think those leading the NMA are leading the doctors in the wrong direction and should be called to order.

It would have been better if doctors are striking for more money, but rather striking for flimsy reasons like... "I spent a long time in the medical school, I should always be the BOSS in the hospital ", "Nobody except doctors should be bear the title- CONSULTANT, etc... all these are uncalled for!

Everyone in the hospital is important, no matter what (even the cleaners).

Everyone should be more concerned about doing what he/she was employed to do in the first place!

Everyone is supposed to work together for unity, everyone is virtually important!

Nobody should say Mr. A. is not important or Mr. B. is not important, that's gross!

I wonder when doctors began taking so much interest in a title rather than in research work!

Please if there is any good and strong reason given by the doctors for the strike, then please educate me, aside that I think the strike is ridiculous and TOTALLY uncalled for!



[/size]

You sounded so simplistic!
Headship of any organisation is very important. Imagine a University being headed by a NASU member...

The doctors are against the title of ' Consultant' for other health care workers for the fact that it is not needed and creates chaos within the system. Some consultant nurses have been appointed in the past and the experiences were not good. A consultant Nurse said she could not join a ward round because she too is a consultant, a consultant pharmacy changed the prescription of a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon without his input etc.

Besides in Nigeria it all about the money....specialist allowance of N150,000 only! Some people also want to earn this by all means. Imagine just rise through the ranks to attain the post of a consultant physiotherapist without any additional relevant training. What this will eventually lead to is worsening of the health system because doctors too will loose the incentive for further specialist training....since they can rise through the ranks to become consultants and earn specialist allowance.

This is just one of the reasons for the strike.

dridowu: If you know your worth you will asked for it. It is only those that does not know their worth accept whatever is given to them.

vet sef ddey talk. Abeg coome treat my piglets and capons. Hahahaha

Let the consultant nurses, consultant mortuary drivers, consultant lab technologists, consultant store keeper, consultant cleaner etc treat the patients na. Its not by making noise in the name of JOHESU.

Oduduwaboy: This struggle for relevance in the health sector by paramedicals in the health sector must stop in other for peace to rein.

The nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, lab technologist who now call themselves scientists, admin workers, cleaners formed a gang-up union called JOHESU ( joint health workers union ) in order to gain unmerited advantage over doctors.

Government in its characteristic ineptitude has been granting contradictory and malicious circulars that favour JOHESU while systematically destroying age-long established order in keeping with best international practices.

This present strike action is meant to make government sit up and begin to do the right thing.

Very wise decision indeed make government sit up by making sure patients die nation wide. Make government sit up by sacrificing lives of the unfortunate and vulnerable Nigerians. The wisdom of Doctors!!!

TCD: can't the consultant lab technologists , pharmacists and radiographers take care of the patients? why all the noise

Abi o. Let d nurses, lab scientists n pharmacists run d hospital make we see how far.

Amhappy: I thought the doctor is like the team lead in a hospital. If that is the case,the leader carried everybody along including their support staff,well thats how its done in Engineering profession. How can doctors be demanding hazard allowance only for themselves when their support staff are exposed to the same hazards or even more?

They are not exposed to the same hazards ma.
The surgeon deals with blood, body fluids, needle prick injury etc while the pharmacist or physiotherapist sees none of these!

TechRev:

Very wise decision indeed make government sit up by making sure patients die nation wide. Make government sit up by sacrificing lives of the unfortunate and vulnerable Nigerians. The wisdom of Doctors!!!

How else does government listen in Nigeria? Educate the doctors na! You are wiser than NMA ( & ASUU).

yomi007k:
Abi o. Let d nurses, lab scientists n pharmacists run d hospital make we see how far.

Neither can doctors run a hospital when Nurses go on strike, or lab scientists or cleaners go on strike. Its a whole system that works only when all components are working.

adahib: It's funny how people jump into abusing doctors at every given opportunity on this forum. As I recall, we claimed we don't needed them, that they are overrated, pompous, unintelligent,bla,bla,bla. We also claimed that we have nurses and other health workers who can equally do the job. So why are we complaining now? Why are groaning? In fact, we should be happy that other health workers have been given opportunity to show how useless doctors are.
Please be informed that other health workers are at their duty posts. If you have any health related issue, instead of sitting here and whining on how wicked doctors are, just stroll into a nearby hospital and one of the health workers will be glad to sort you out.

don't mind them. Let the consultant nurses, pharmacist, lab scientist, records officer, consult patient, treat them, report CT scan result, operate them...

No matter how serious doctors strike is, you can never see a doctor trying to disrupt the activities of JOHESU members during the strike. But each time JOHESU goes on strike, their members leave their houses every morning to sabotage Doctors' work.

Arinze96: Every strike in this country affects only the poor and middle class. God! Have Mercy!

are you serioous? There is a middle class in Nigeria? I didn't know!

Na-Me:
I wonder why government will dialogue, come to agreement then refuse to keep to their part of the agreement for years.
The number of points for strike keep increasing with every strike.

You can't keep telling the same people/union to sheathe their swords every single time and still do nothing about their demands.

Very reasoned & seasoned comment!

publicenemy: these doctors are always taking advantage of their position in the society,peaple will lose their lives as a result of this but the doctors dont care....all they care about is their selfish interests....cowards.

The other day they were asking for special plate numbers.very absurd demands and the next thing they go on strike..

The reason they asked for special plate numbers was as to enable them render emergency services anywhere anytime with minimal hitches, and that was even a suggestion, which was not part of the demands listed above. Get educated before jumping to conclusions

NMA AND HER EGOCENTRIC DEMANDS: THE
HEIGHT OF GROSS LAWLESSNESS,
IMPUNITY & BLACKMAIL
BY
BENJAMIN CHUKWUNONSO AJUFO
In an open letter written to the secretary to
the Federal Government of Nigeria, Senator
Anyim Pius Anyim, on the 10th of June and
sent to him on the 11th of June 2014, the
Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) under
the leadership of Dr. Kayode Obembe as
President and Dr. Adewumi Alayaki as
secretary had written 24 demands that must
be urgently met. They have given the
Government a 14-day ultimatum, failure of
which NMA would call her members out on
an indefinite strike nationwide. NMA is made
up of ASSOPON- Association of Pathologist
of Nigeria, MDCAN - Medical and Dental
Consultants of Nigeria, ARD-Association of
Resident Doctors and smaller sister
Associations, who are doctors in public and
private practice. For many years, Allopathic
Medical Doctors in Nigeria have always
hoodwinked the Government and the general
public, through falsehood and blackmail.
They have coerced the Government to take
unfavorable decisions which have always
been detrimental to the health sector and the
Nigerian populace. They have continually
done this as a result of the structural injustice
that has been perpetuated by many members
of NMA in high places in Government. They
undermine the laws setting up the hospital
system, the Public Service Rules and above
all the constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. At this juncture let us have a critical
look at those demands.
(1) APPOINTMENT OF THE POST OF THE
DEPUTY CMAC IN HOSPITALS. In line with
the University Hospitals (reconstruction of
boards) cap U15, LFN 2004 commonly called
decree 10 of 1985 which governs Hospital
practice in Nigerian, there is the office of the
CMAC but it never provided for the office of
the DCMAC. In section 4, it provides thus;
“there shall be for each Hospital, a Chairman
of the Medical Advisory Committee who shall
be appointed by the Board and responsible to
the Chief Medical Director for all the Clinical
and Training activities of the Hospital”.
Section 2i provides that; the CMAC is a
member of the board. There is no place in the
organic law setting up the hospital that
created the office of the DCMAC and there is
no place it says that only Allopathic Medical
Doctors should be appointed as such. Yet
NMA is insisting that the Government must
appoint four DCMAC in every Teaching
Hospital and three in every Federal Medical
Centre. All along, Boards of Hospitals as a
result of threats from NMA have been
allowing this illegal office to be used to
undermine statutory approved Scheme of
Service of other professional groups. The
Public Service Rule in section 1-general in
160101 provides; ‘A Parastatal is a
government-owned organization, established
by statutes to render specified service(s) to
the public. It is structured and operates
according to the instrument establishing it
and also comes under the policy directives of
government. In line with 160201 (a) statutory
boards/council shall set operational and
administrative policies in accordance with
government policy directives and supervise
the implementation of such policies. A
situation where Allopathic Medical Doctors in
Nigeria wants the Government to continue to
create post and responsibilities not backed
by statutes undermines the principles of good
governance. It is gross violation of the law
setting the Government owned institution.
Moreover, it is trite law that you cannot add
to a statute. That will be ultra verse.
(2) NMA IS OPPOSED TO THE APPOINTMENT
OF DIRECTORS IN HOSPITALS. It should be
noted that this statement is laden with deceit
as postulated by NMA, that having Directors
in hospitals will affect patient care negatively.
This is fallacy of the highest order. The truth
of the matter is, NMA does not want
professional departments as directorates in
the various Scheme of Service, rendering
professional duties like the department of
Pharmaceutical Services headed by the
Director of Pharmaceutical Services who is a
Pharmacist. Department of Nursing Services
under the Director Nursing Services, who is a
Nurse. The Department of Medical Laboratory
Services under the Director of Medical
Laboratory Services, who is Medical
Laboratory Scientist etc.And all are
answerable to the Chief Medical Director. It
should be noted that, NMA and her members
were the ones who negotiated their present
Scheme of Service that all their members can
rise to level 17 without being called Directors.
Other Healthcare Personnel have continued
to follow their own Scheme of Service where
only one person gets to level 17 and is
designated the Director, which is the most
popular path in the Public Service. Again in
the criteria for employment as stated in the
Public Service rule in 020205,-“to be eligible
for appointment into the federal Public
Service, every applicant must 020205(e)
possess requisite qualification as provide in
the Scheme of Service.” The Scheme of
Service of all other Healthcare Personnel in
the hospital provides for a Directorate
system. Now NMA and her members want to
go on strike for Government to jettison the
Public Service Rule which is a Government
Policy Document. The Scheme of Service for
Allopathic Medical doctors provides for a non
Directorate system. AND NO PROFESSIONAL
GROUP IMPOSES HER OWN SCHEME OF
SERVICE ON THE OTHER. SECONDLY NO
EMPLOYEE DETERMINES THE CONDITION OF
SERVICE OF ANOTHER EMPLOYEE. They are
agitating for this in order to entrench
professional imperialism, so that all other
healthcare staff will not reach the zenith of
their career. That is the singular reason, a
doctor on level 15 is called a Head of
Department heading someone already on
level 17 and is designated a Director .This is
gross absurdity against the Public Service
Rule. There is no Government Institution in
Nigerian where such is seen, only in our
Hospitals. And that is what NMA wants to
perpetuate. Rule 160103 of the Nigerian
Public Service Rule provides –“Parastatals
are to retain and improve existing rules,
procedures and practices in their
establishments and ensure that there are no
deviations from the general principles
contained in the Public Service
Rules………………………………however in the
absence of internal rules and regulations on
any matter, the relevant provisions of the
Public Services Rule shall apply”. This can
also be seen in section 5(5) and 17 of the act
governing hospital practice in Nigeria. NMA’s
demands are anti- Public Service Rule.

Oduduwaboy:

They are not exposed to the same hazards ma.
The surgeon deals with blood, body fluids, needle prick injury etc while the pharmacist or physiotherapist sees none of these!

Don't mind that one

TechRev:

Neither can doctors run a hospital when Nurses go on strike, or lab scientists or cleaners go on strike. Its a whole system that works only when all components are working.

That's a fat lie. The pace of work might be a little slow but patients will not die because cleaners r on strike I beg.

Oduduwaboy:
How else does government listen in Nigeria? Educate the doctors na! You are wiser than NMA ( & ASUU).

Doctors believe they are near God and above every other human especially those in the health system. Its just hypocrisy to tow same line as those you claim to be under you. If you claim to be above nurses and above JOHESU in education and et al. You should have come up with a way to make your points considered and possibly granted without sacrificing the patients you swore to protect.

Doctors in nigeria are only concerned with money and title. Research and medical breakthroughs are gone to the wind.

(3) NMA DEMANDS THAT GRADE LEVEL 12
SHOULD BE SKIPPED BY DOCTORS.
This demand is not in line with Government
approved Scheme of Service for Doctors.NMA
in her usual falsehood has always accused
JOHESU members of skipping when in actual
sense there is nothing like that. The term is a
misnomer this is because skipping is when a
Civil Servant moves from a grade level to a
higher grade level that is not provided for in
the Scheme of Service e.g. when a worker
moves from 8-10 and there is no approval for
such a special promotion ,this is skipping.
But when you move from 10- 12 this is not
skipping because this is provided in the
Scheme of Service and there is no level 11 in
the Scheme of Service. A baby physician
enters the Service on level 12, which is a
principal grade. Now NMA is insisting that
they must be appointed on level 13, which is
an Assistant Chief Cadre. Haba! How can a
beginner enter the Civil Service on an
Assistant Chief Cadre? There is no Nigerian
worker that enters the Service on such grade.
There is no Nigerian Civil Servants that skips.
This is not provided in any known Nigerian
scheme of Service.
(4 ) APPOINTMENT OF OTHER MEDICAL
PERSONNEL AS CONSULTANTS.
NMA is threatening to go on strike because
the Government has chosen to obey Court
judgment in favour of other Health Personnel
that they can also be appointed as
consultants in their chosen field. In a false
sense of well being, NMA insists that they
own the patients and as such only the
medical doctor can be called a Consultant.
Nobody owns the patient; rather the patient is
the epi-centre of Healthcare Service. Medical
doctors are just one of the professional
skilled healthcare attendants in a hospital,
attending to the healthcare needs of the
patient. Each medical personnel are given a
license to practice their chosen field. The
various scheme of Service for Pharmacists,
Physiotherapist, Nurses, Medical Laboratory
Scientists etc provides that they can be
appointed as consultants. All over the world,
it is not only Allopathic Medical Doctors that
are appointed as consultants. A simple
google search will show that there are
different consultants in the Health Field. The
word consultant is not an exclusive term to
designate Allopathic Medical Doctors who are
specialists. William A .Cohen, PhD, in his
bestselling book “How to Make It Big as a
Consultant” has this to say on pages 2 and
3. “Consultants operate in many different
fields. Import-export, management, human
resources, engineering, and marketing are
some of the more common ones. There are
consultants in archeology and consultants in
clothes selection. There are even consultants
to help authors overcome writer’s block.” On
page 3 he has this to say. “A consultant is
simply anyone who gives advice or performs
other services of a professional or a
semiprofessional nature in return for
compensation”. NMA wants to stop working
because other Healthcare Personnel are
appointed as consultants. Is NMA saying that
they are the only Professionals in the Health
Field?
(5) RELATIVITY IN HEALTH SECTOR
On what basis is NMA still agitating for
relativity when at the point of entry this has
been taken care of and resolved based on
the number of years one spends in school.
Those who spend four years have their entry
point as level 8,those that spend five years
on level 9 ,those that spend five years with
one year of internship on level 10,while those
that spend six years with one year internship
on level twelve. The agitation for the so called
relativity is discriminatory and violates the
Nigerian Constitution as stipulated in section
34-(1). NMA insisting that this must be
sacrosanct in the Health Sector is on what
basis? It should be noted that members of
NMA are just employees of the Government,
just like every other Civil Servant, and as such
no employee determines what another
employee is to be paid. It is never done
anywhere in the world. This is a sense of
megalomania, and so this jack of all trade
mentality must stop.
(6) NATIONAL HEALTH BILL.
NMA is calling for the implementation of the
National Health Bill which has been shown to
contain a lot of clauses that are anti-people.
Many professional Associations, Civil
Societies and well meaning Nigerians have
called for the removal of these obnoxious
sections of the Bill. But NMA in the bid to
actualize her set selfish agenda has refused
to give good reason a chance. Again some
part of the Bill undermines the Nigerian
Constitution in use in a Federal System of
Government. No Nigerian Health Worker is
against having a Health Bill but all we are
saying is that in order to meet Government
set objectives to enhance the total wellbeing
of the citizenry the obnoxious sections has to
be expunged.
(7) THE APPOINTMENT OF SURGEON
GENERAL.
This office is not created by law. There is no
Nigerian statute that says that we must have
the office of the Surgeon General. Creation of
this office will lead to more agitation and
anarchy in the Health Sector which is already
polarized. Every professional group will be
agitating for the creation of X-general, e.g.
Pharmacist general, Nurse general,
Optometrist general, Radiographer general,
Physiotherapy general, Dietician general;
Medical laboratory scientist general etc. The
creation of this post will lead to more
problems in the health sector. Secondly of
what role and benefit is the office of the
Surgeon general when we already have two
Ministers of Health and there are many
Directors also having such functions?

TechRev:

Neither can doctors run a hospital when Nurses go on strike, or lab scientists or cleaners go on strike. Its a whole system that works only when all components are working.

...but everybody should know his/her place in the organisation and the society at large for peace to rein or else one day a Driver in the ministry of justice will become the chief judge!

LIBsucks:

are you serioous? There is a middle class in Nigeria? I didn't know!

Now u know! Where do you fall in?

yomi007k:
That's a fat lie. The pace of work might be a little slow but patients will not die because cleaners r on strike I beg.

So you agree that doctors are killers when they go on strike?? Cause only doctor's strike action can lead to death of patients?? And you are happy that only doctors strike can kill patients.

OK lets see who collects more tallies at the end of the strike, Doctors or Bokoharam??

( THE ENTRY POINT OF HOUSE OFFICER
TO BE ON COMMESS 1 STEP 4
This level is equivalent to grade level 10
steps 4. On what is this agitation predicated
on, when such entry point is not supported
by any Scheme of Service, used as one of the
criteria for appointment into the Public
Service of the federation? It should be noted
that house officers are intern or Pupil Medical
Doctors. There is no intern in Nigerian that
enters the service on step four. Moreover,
steps are indicators of the level of experience
or years the person /officer have spent on
that grade level. On what criteria is a
neophyte/green horn in his profession placed
on step four? What you have is either step
one or step two. Government should not
accede to this demand that undermines
ethical procedural practice in the Public
Service.
(9) CLINICAL ALLOWANCES FOR HONORARY
CONSULTANTS TO BE INCREASED BY 90%
OF CONMESS.
Early this year, under the immediate past
President of NMA, Dr Enabulele, NMA had
had an upward salary increase for their
members. Not up to 5 months, NMA is now
calling for another bloated allowance. Note
that consultants are meant to render quality
service as Attending Physicians, but what do
we see daily in our hospitals? Most of the
times, the “consultants/honorary
consultants” are never around. Yet they want
to be paid such a jumbo allowance. Those
that are around, work four times in a month,
having one clinic day in a week.
(10) NMA, with the huge sum they are paid,
still wants adjustment in their specialist
allowance to be paid to all doctors on
CONMESS 3 and above, and must be paid its
equivalent that is not less than 50% higher
than what is paid to other Health Workers.
How can NMA be the one to decide what
other Health Workers get? NMA should go
and read the Parable of one Talent Payment.
(11) NMA is calling for Government to pay
her members 100,000 naira every month as
just hazard allowance. How can NMA be
demanding for such, despite all she is already
receiving? She is being too selfish/greedy in
her demands. Even other workers with worse
occupational hazards are not receiving such.
(12) NMA insists on immediate release of
circulars on rural posting, teaching and other
allowance which must include House Officers.
Since 2009 NMA and her members have been
collecting teaching allowance even though
that teaching allowances as approved by the
Government was for very Senior Medical
Doctors (Consultants and very Senior
Registrars)that are involved in teaching of
doctors in training, especially the junior and
senior interns. House officers are the junior
interns while Resident doctors are senior
interns doing a student fellowship to become
a specialist .Now NMA is agitating that the
interns who are still doctors in training should
be paid teaching allowance. House officers
and resident doctors by government circulars
are not entitled to this payment; it is because
of them that Government is paying the
teaching allowance. How can the doctor in
training be asking for teaching allowance
when he is a trainee, and who is he teaching?
Since the approval in 2009 and full
implementation in 2010, House Officers and
Resident Doctors who are NMA members,
have been fraudulently collecting huge
monthly teaching allowances which they are
not entitled. There is no government circular
or template that approved such payment. It
was in this year 2014, that the Government
through the Call Budget Circular from the
Ministry of Finance opposed and stopped the
payment of teaching allowance to interns.
For five years members of NMA who were not
entitled to teaching allowance have been
defrauding the Government. He who comes
to equity must come with clean hands.
(13) NMA calls for immediate withdrawal of
CBN circular authorizing the Medical
Laboratory Science Council of Nigerian
(MLSCN) to approve licenses for the
importation of in vitro diagnostics (IVDS). It is
so petty that NMA is going on strike because
the Federal Government (which means well
for Nigerians), has taken the bull by the horn
to making sure that fake/ substandard
diagnostic consumables are removed from
the system, by effectively empowering
MLSCN-the Agency who has the statutory
function to do this job. Sections 4b, and 4e
of MLSCN act 11 2003 provides- the function
of the board are
(B) Regulate the Practice of Medical
Laboratory Science in Nigerian.
(c) Regulate the production, importation,
sales, and stocking of diagnostic reagents
and chemicals.
Section 19 of the MLSCN act mandates
MLSCN Board to also make rules. Section
19(d) goes thus-the board may make rules
for the maintenance of good standard of
Medical Laboratory practice and services
with respect to the regulation and control of
private practice including statutory
inspection, approval, and monitoring of all
Medical Laboratories including those
adjoined to Clinics, Private and Public Health
Institutions. Instead of NMA to partner with
MLSCN to kick fake diagnostics out of
Nigeria, she is out there encouraging
quackery and fighting a lost battle by being
anti-Establishment.
(14) NMA wants immediate release of
circular on retirement age. Dear Nigerians by
increasing retirement age from 60 to more
years how will it bring better productivity in
the health sector? When within the next ten
years of a doctor starting work ,he can get to
the zenith of his career which work will he be
doing? And when most of our consultants are
part time doctors because they work and
have Clinics days only once a week.

(15) NMA , Residency and Oversee
Training.NMA should look inwards and stop
hiding under residency and oversee training
to encourage medical tourism and waste of
tax payers money. For self reliance and self
determination the Alma Ata declaration has a
lot to help a young economy like Nigeria.
Health has a lot to do with socio-economic
indices. Diseases in the tropics are not the
same as in the temperate region. Alma Ata
declaration of 1978, encourages young
economies to look inwards locally in
providing healthcare at low and affordable
manner. All over the world it is not only one
group in the health field that does residency.
Veterinarians, Podiatrist, Medical Physicist,
Optometrist, Pharmacist, Physical Therapist,
Doctors of Ethnomedicine, Doctors of Holistic
Medicine, Doctors of Natural Medicine etc all
have residency program. Yet none of these
group in Nigeria have gone on strike because
of no oversee residency program. A privilege
is not a right. There is no government law
that says that Allopathic Doctors can only
become good doctors only when they go
oversee.NMA should stop encouraging this
mentality that anything African is
inferior.NMA should know that what they are
asking is not part of the rules of engagement.
This is the time for more humane and humble
request. Indian doctors are becoming one of
the best doctors in the world not because
they are looking overseas but because they
are looking inwards.
(16) NMA insist on payment of salaries of her
member in Owerri. Her members should also
meet part of their own responsibilities and
agreement as workers. NMA must learn to
obey constituent authority, and must make
her members to be amenable to discipline.
(17) NMA members and IPPIS platform. NMA
has always shown double standard on this
issue. Before now, members of NMA went on
strike because of the Government policy that
all worker must be on IPPIS platform. How
come it is now that NMA is just waking up
from sleep, to say that if her members are not
on IPPIS she will call her members for
indefinite strike? The Government policy is
that if you are not on a pensionable
appointment you cannot be on IPPIS. So how
can house officers and residents be on IPPIS
when their appointment is not permanent?
Moreover the 2014 Call Budget Circular from
the Ministry of Finance provides that you
cannot hold more than one appointment and
be placed in two places under IPPIS platform.
When IPPIS came many members of NMA
opposed it because it did not allow them to
be on Government pay role in two places.
(18) NMA wants to go on strike because
House Officers are said not to be part of
NARD-National Association of Resident
Doctors. The big question here is, are house
officers also paid the same as their senior
residents? In as much that the House Officer
is a junior resident while the doctor in training
to become a specialist is a senior resident
the duo cannot be part of any strike action
even with their consultants, because they
belong to an Association and not a trade
Union.NMA is only calling for House Officers
to be part of NARD for them to be part of their
numerous illegal strike action.
(19) NMA accuses Medical Laboratory
Scientists of harasment.NMA has shown
herself that she is a Joker. The world knows
that it is the other way round. That it is
members of NMA that are harassing Medical
Laboratory Scientists in Nigerian. The
number of Medical laboratory Scientist that
NMA members have instigated their sack/
termination of appointment/suspension is
worrisome. But thanks are to the Most High
for the Judiciary who brings hope for the
common man, by setting aside most of the
sack/termination/suspension. Medical
laboratory Scientists are people who do not
act on impulse, or with impunity. Why is NMA
resorting to self help when issues she has
with members of Association of Medical
Laboratory Scientists of Nigerian are in court?
Why is she the judge in her own case? The
spirit of Medical Laboratory Scientists can
never be broken. We shall always move with
great crescendo to protect patients’ interest
and the public at large, despite the
provocation and lawlessness that is being
perpetuated by members of NMA in the
Health Sector. The laws of the land shall be
our strength, for he who holds the mace of
truth and justice can never falter. We cannot
be intimidated by her Goliath posturing.
(20) NMA says-‘the endless circles of
incomplete salary payment to our members in
many hospital in the name of short falls in
personal cost must stop’. This is the only
legitimate demand out of the 24 demands by
NMA because the labourer is worthy of his
wages. But NMA cannot call her members out
for strike based on this, because she is not a
registered Trade Union but a charity. This
problem is not peculiar to only Allopathic
Medical Doctors but to all personnel working
in the Health Sector.
(21) NMA in her number 21 demand states
‘universal application of all establishment
circulars on remuneration and condition of
service for doctors at all levels of Government
must be guaranteed’. NMA is not justified
here, because this borders on Constitutional
Matter. And the Central Government has
some limits to want they can impose on the
State, bearing in mind that we are practicing
a Federal System of Government, where
power is shared among the three tiers of
Government, the Federal, State and the Local
Government. NMA members should come to
terms that they are the employee and not the
employer. It is very interesting to note, that
NMA who champions the lost battle, insists
that the approved Scheme of Service/
circulars of other healthcare workers will
never be implemented is the one now
agitating that even things not given by any
Scheme Service/circular must be
implemented.

Amhappy: I thought the doctor is like the team lead in a hospital. If that is the case,the leader carried everybody along including their support staff,well thats how its done in Engineering profession. How can doctors be demanding hazard allowance only for themselves when their support staff are exposed to the same hazards or even more?

You can't carry them along cause they went ahead to form their own association, so they can present their case and fight for their rights. Btw, the hazard allowance for most medical doctors is just #5000. That can't even run tests not to talk of treatment. Compare that to poor nutrition cause of little time to eat (yes, that does happen), antecedent risk of needlestick injury with concurrent infection with dreaded HIV and hepatitis viruses (yes, many doctors have passes from this fatal diseases also), their families miss their presence at home in order to render services to the population. It goes beyond the money my dear, I can assure you of that

TechRev:

So you agree that doctors are killers when they go on strike?? Cause only doctor's strike action can lead to death of patients?? And you are happy that only doctors strike can kill patients.

OK lets see who collects more tallies at the end of the strike, Doctors or Bokoharam??

Or the government.

(22) NMA demands that Government must
urgently set up a health trust fund that will
enhance the upgrading of hospitals.NMA is
being sentimental here, the problems of our
hospital is not funding but mismanagement
and accountability. Even if the Government
sets 100 trust funds with billions of naira
much will not come out of it, because the
hospitals are managed contrary to
Government laws and principles. Hospital/
health administrators should be the ones to
head and manage the hospitals. Our
hospitals have been poorly managed under
the leadership of Allopathic Physicians. When
there is good management and
accountability Government set goals/
objectives can be actualized.
(23) APPOINTMENT INTO THE OFFICE OF
THE CMD/MD.
NMA is always doctoring and adding to
organic laws. In her 23rd demand, NMA
stated “the position of the Chief Medical
Director/Medical Director must continue to be
occupied by a medical doctor as contained in
the act establishing the tertiary hospitals.
This position remains sacrosanct and
untouchable.” I can beat my chest and say
that the leadership of NMA have never seen
nor read the content of University Teaching
Hospitals (reconstruction of boards) cap U15,
LFN 2004 commonly called decree 10 of
1985.There is no where it stated what NMA
quoted above. In fact the term medical doctor
was never used in that document or Act.
Section 5 of the act provides;
(1) There shall be for each hospital a Chief
Medical Director who shall be appointed by
the president on such terms and conditions
as may be specified in his letter of
appointment or as may be determined from
time to time by the Federal Government.
(2)The Chief Medical Director shall
(a)Be a person who is medically qualified
and registered as such for a period of not
less than 12 years, and has had considerable
administrative experience in matters of health
and holds a post graduate medical
qualification obtained not less than 5 years
prior to the appointment as chief medical
director and
(b)Be charged with the responsibility for the
execution of the polices and matters affecting
the day to day management of the affairs of
the hospital.
In the afore-mentioned Act, there is no place
it said that the person must be a Medical
Doctor. The International best practice is
that, it is not only Medical Doctors that head
Hospitals rather, in most places; it is a
qualified hospital/health administrator that
manages the Hospital. If you do a search on
the internet on the criteria to become a truck
driver in USA, note that you will see that it
says that the person must be medically
qualified. So does being medically qualified
here mean that one must be a medical doctor
to be a truck driver? The capital answer is
“no”. It means being medically fit. The term
medically qualified as used in the act has
been misinterpreted to mean a holder of a
certificate registrable by MEDICAL AND
DENTAL COUNCIL OF NIGERIA.(MDCN).
Currently there is a case instituted in the
Federal High Court Awka by Comr. A. A Obi a
distinguished Medical Laboratory Scientist
and the suit number is FHC/AWK/CS/38/
2013.The suit is to interpret the meaning of
who is medically qualified as used in section
5 of the act. So why is NMA and her members
jumping the gun to go on strike on an issue
before the Court is that not subjudice? All
along NMA has used acts of impunity to
undermine the rule of law. The organic law
did not say the person will be a Medical
Doctor or be registrable with MDCN even
though all adverts for the posts of CMD/MD
have come to illegally say so.
It is lucid that from the foregoing, certain
questions arise. Can NMA as an Association
declare and call for strike, when it is not a
Trade Union? Is NMA above the law, that it
can undermine the provisions of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, by trampling on the code of conduct
for Public Officers as stated in the
constitution? Section 2 subsections 1,2 and
3 of the Trade Union Act, states “A trade
union shall not perform any act in furtherance
of the purpose for which it has been formed
unless it has been registered under this
act……………..”
section 2 subsection 2-where a trade union
registered under this act ceases to be
registered, it shall not there after perform any
action in furtherance of this purpose…………….
section 2 subsection 3-if any act which is
prohibited by section (1) or (2) of this
section, is performed by a trade union, then
(a)The Union and every official thereof; and
(b) Any member thereof who, not being an
official thereof, took any active part in the
performance of that act, shall be guilty of an
offence against this act.
NMA is not a registered Trade Union, so she
cannot be doing this, entrenching sabotage
and acts of impunity against the State. Above
all, endangering the lives of the citizens, she
swore on oath to protect. A situation where
NMA is going on strike as a result of these
frivolous demands is gross misconduct and
acts of negligence. Section 3 of 030301( h) of
the Public Service Rule terms negligence as a
misconduct.030402 (e) terms absence from
duty without leave as serious acts of
misconduct. Sabotage in 030402(t) is also
stated as serious misconduct. Section 33(1)
of the Nigerian Constitution 2011 as amended
provides every person has a right to life and
no one shall be deprived intentionally of his
life………section 172 of the same Constitution
states “A person in the Public Service of the
Federation shall observe and conform to the
code of conduct of the Federation “.The fifth
schedule part 1 code of conduct for Public
Officers says:
(1) A public officer shall not put himself in a
position where his personal interest conflicts
with his duties and responsibilities.
(9) A public officer shall not do or direct to be
done, in abuse of his office, any contrary act
prejudicial to the rights of any other person or
contrary to.
It is so glaring that what NMA is asking is
prejudicial and tramples on the rights of
Nigerian Citizens.
(24) IN her 24 demand NMA forgot that she
is an employee of the Government and it is
not for her to dictate on how Optometrist or
Medical Physicist should be paid. Nigeria is
not Govern by the whims and caprices of
NMA but by laws and polices made by the
Government.
CONCLUSION.
NMA and her members are not justified on
going on strike. The only reasonable demand
is demand number 20 haba! A student who
scored one out of twenty four is not doing
well at all. NMA members should know that
as workers they have duty of Fidelity, they as
Civil Servants are bound to only obey rightful
orders from NMA. They also have duty of
care and skill to the patient. And above all
their loyalty/allegiance is to the Nigerian
state. A situation where NMA gives her
members unlawful orders undermines the rule
of law and as such, such orders cannot hold
sway.
NMA has become a fifth columnists working
against the state. It is sad that NMA and her
members who have benefitted so much from
the state are now turning themselves against
the Nigerian state to become the killer of the
Nigerian People, instead of being the
Physician who is to be the healer of the
patient and people. Nigerians must rise and
say no to this medical imperialism by using
the instrumentality of the law to stop NMA
from inflicting untold hardship on her
citizenry. The Federal Government through
the Ministry of Health under Prof Onyebuchi
CHukwu must act to maintain law and order,
now that NMA has told the world that it is
because of some of the things She granted to
JOHESU on merit, is the reason NMA is going
on strike. She should seek an injunction
restraining NMA from going on strike just as
he did to JOHESU, pending the determination
of the motion on notice to know if NMA has
the locus standi to go on strike when she is
not a Trade Union. JOHESU should be firm to
seek a legal redress to restrain NMA in this
acts of lawlessness,if the Government does
not act.There must be a total restructuring of
the Health Sector. All Nigerians from all works
of life must condemn these acts of sabotage
against the State by doctors of Allopathic
Medicine under the auspices of NMA. The
Nigerian Government as a matter of urgency
should support the Natural Medicine
Development Agency Kofo Abayomi Victoria
Island, to reposition our Traditional Medicine
to be like what is seen in China, USA, U.K,
India, Korea etc. And it should be integrated
into the mainstream Healthcare System in
Nigeria. Allopathic Monopolistic Medicine
should give way to Pluralistic Medicine.
Government should create an enabling
environment for the practice of the different
Medical Systems like, Functional Medicine,
Holistic Medicine, Ethnomedicine, Ayurvedic
Medicine, Homeopathy, Osteopathy etc. All
over the world, no country is currently solely
dependent on one Medical System. Nigerians
must say no to NMA that has become anti
people. The Nigerian Government should not
allow herself to be blackmailed by NMA. She
should first and foremost challenge NMA for
acts of impunity against the state. The
federal Government should take a leaf from
Governor Fashola of Lagos State, for enough
is enough. The Government should also take
a queue from the former governor of Anambra
state, Mr Peter Obi

It's a pity that these JOHESU people are tapping on emotions of ill-informed masses to blackmail doctors. A Lot of people don't know what is going on, yet they don't care to read. They just speak based on emotion that doctors took an oath to care for patients. So doctors are this important The same people that will call doctors useless, afterwards.

To understand the cause of this strike, you need to go way back to the genesis. Money is not the issue here. Doctors are actually counter attacking. While doctors were busy carrying out their patient care, some health workers under the name of JOHESU in partnership with the government started attacking doctors.

Govt knows how much revenue they generate from hospitals. Let's see how much the hospitals will generate without the doctors.

Here's a summary of NMAstrike
If the FG dont implement these 23 demands, all our patients can just go and die. Even those who sold their houses to raise money for the hospital bills.
Heartless set of Nigerians!

yomi007k:
Or the government.

both are fighting FG by killing Nigerians.

Whose deathtol will be more??

Oduduwaboy:

They are not exposed to the same hazards ma.
The surgeon deals with blood, body fluids, needle prick injury etc while the pharmacist or physiotherapist sees none of these!

I beg to disagree a bit Sir,the lab scientist,nurse,even the cleaner are exposed to body fluids and pricks too,the radiographer to radiation no matter how low and unharmful its tagged. I dont know if you have been opportuned to see how things are done in the highly hazardous Oil and gas sector. Nobody is left out. If a rig collapse both the foreman and mate goes down.What of if there is an outbreak of ebola for instance,every health worker will be at risk. Such allowance should cover everybody according to their level of exposure. In that case the Drs come first but his support will not be left out. The health sector have a lot of fight within themselves when they should be working together.